Clothing To Invest In

Socks and underwear

As long as you get solid black, navy or white socks you can save money on them because, quite frankly, no one will notice. Great looking underwear can also be purchased inexpensively. Check out sales in department stores for discounts on designer duds. In lower-end department stores you can also buy underwear cheaply; just stick with standard patterns or solid colors and avoid no-name designer logos and weird pictures (like Papa Smurf).

Expect to pay: $10 for a pack of three or for one designer pair on sale

Ties

Save on ties, but take into account the texture of the tie and be sure to choose only ties made from quality materials — such as silk — as these feel much nicer to wear and be tied up in. Show your playful side to the ladies and experiment a bit with ties by having a variety of colors and patterns.

Expect to pay: $20 to $30

Belts

A truly useful item, the solid black, leather belt with a silver buckle shouldn’t cost you much and you’ll wear it for years until it falls apart. At this price, you can afford to buy two, so buy a second in brown leather with a gold or bronze clasp as a stylish standby.

Expect to pay: $30 to $60

dishing out on designer duds

Fancy packaging for products, like wine and food, can fool others into thinking you paid a lot more for a product than you actually did. Clothes are the same way, so dress up your package a little and you’ll seem like the definition of class — even if the rest of your outfit was purchased for half-price at a discount store.

At first you may need to shell out big bucks for some of the pricier items, but remember that these are investment pieces, so you’ll be wearing them for years to come — some may even last you a lifetime. Plus, after your bank account recovers from your more expensive purchases, you’ll save tons of money each season when all you have to do is pick out a couple of cheaper items to stay in style. Here’s to looking great!